Ditch digging machine



Apnl 17, 195] E. D. EKENSTAM DITCH DIGGING MACHINE I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 23, 1947 3nnentor attorney April 17, 1951 E. D. EKENSTAM 2,549,183

DITCH DIGGING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 f ,6420 //7 120 If E. D. EKENSTAM DITCH DIGGING MACHINE April 17, 1951 Filed May 23, 1947 Summer 7 dwand Q. glzemtam/ Cittorneg E. D. EKENSTAM DITCH DIGGING MACHINE April 17, 1951 Filed May 23, 1947 '5 SheetsSheet 4 Ihwcmor- (Edward .9. lielutam April 1951 E. D. EKENSTAM 2,549,183

DITCH DIGGING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1947 s Shets-Sheet 5 Zhwentor dwar'd Q. (Elie/whim attorneg Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DITCH DIGGING MACHINE Edward D. Ekenstam, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 23, 1947, Serial No. 750,121

l1 Claims. (01. 37-90) The present invention relates generally to ex- 7 cavating machines, and is more particularly concerned with a machine for digging drainage or irrigation ditches of the type having a flat bottom and sloping side walls. Such ditches are sub sequently paved With a layer of asphalt or other paving material to make them resistant to erosion and to prevent seepage of water in sandy ground, and: are extensibly used in the Western States because of their durability, the speed and ease with. which they can be constructed, and their low cost of construction.

Heretofore, these ditches have been dug to the required grade by means of power shovels, draglines, scrapers, and the like, and in accordance with time-honored construction practice, have been progressively Worked down to grade by re-- peated passes of the several machines involved. The chief drawback to this arrangement is that the cross-section of the ditch inevitably varies somewhat along its length, due to the fact that even the most skilled operators are unable to control their machines without a certain amount of unavoidable Wandering. The resulting irregularities in the sub-grade of the ditch are responsible for a considerable increase in the cost of the subsequent paving operation, particularly when the latter is performed by a one-pass asphalt ditch paving machine of the type shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 573 652, filed January 20, 1945, now Patent No; 2,447,571 issued on August 24, 19418, which produces a finished surface of absolutely uniform contour.

One of the primary objects of the present in vention, therefore, is to provide a machine for digging a flat-bottomed, sloping-walled ditch of absolutely uniform contour throughout its entire length, so that the asphalt mat subsequently laid down by a following paving machine will he uniform in thickness and density.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a self-contained, fully automatic machine which does the complete ditch digging job in one operation as the machine advances over the ground, producing a finished sub-grade ready for immediate paving without further processing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which, can be adjusted to dig a ditch of any desired depth, width, and wall slope within the range of the machines capabilities.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ditch digging machine which is adapted to be mounted ona tractor, and which can be ele vated to clear the ground for transport to and from the job.

tages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a tractor mounted ditch digging machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a partially sectioned side elevational view of the same, with the section taken along the line 2-2-in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear end view of the machine;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the section line 4-4 in Figure 1, but showing the machine raised up to transport position, and also showing the manner in which the outer bucket lines can be swung up to an inoperative, substantially horizontal position in order to reduce the width of the trench being dug;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 7-1 in Figure l;

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective View of the digging bucket lines, illustrating the manner in which any selected number of the bucket lines can be clamped-together to form an operatively positioned central group, while the outer lines at each end can be clamped together and turned to inoperative position;

Figure 9 is a schematic drawing, representing a section taken at 9-45 in Figure 8, illustrating the manner in which the two center bucket line sup-' porting structures are fixedly mounted on the transverse shaft, while the outer bucket line structures are pivoted on the shaft so that they can be swung up to inoperative position;

Figure 10 is a sectional view, taken along the line Ill-40 in Figure 1, showing one of the transverse conveyors in. elevation; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional View, taI-ren along the line I |l I in Figure 10.

In the drawings, the ditch digging machine of the invention is designated in its entirely by the reference numeral I!) and comprises a structure which is mounted on and supported by suitable propelling means such as the crawler-type tractor illustrated at H. Mounted on tractor is a supporting structure l2 which carries the main frame I3 of the machine.

The frame It is movable vertically with respect to the supporting structure I2, and mounted on said frame transverse to the direction of forward travel is an excavating unit I 4 which operates to dig a flat-bottomed trench in the ground as the machine advances. The excavating mechanism I4 is adjustable in its effective width, as will be described in more detail hereinafter, and the trench dug thereby represents the center, flat-bottomed portion of the ditch. Mounted on the rear end of the frame 4 I3 and extending laterally outwardly and upwardly at an angle fro-m the bottom edges of the trench dug by the excavating unit I4 are side sections I5, each of which comprises earth working means I6 in the form of two vertically spaced scarifiers which loosen and break up the earth on either side of the trench to a sloping grade as the machine advances. Following closely behind the bottom scarifier, and parallel thereto is a worm'conveyor I! which moves the loosened earth in toward the center of the trench. A rotary beater I8, extending transversely across the bottom of the trench, propels the loosened earth forwardly into the buckets of an elevating conveyor I9. The earth is carried upwardly by the conveyor I9 and dumped onto a transversely extending conveyor 26 comprising two oppositely traveling conveyor belts disposed end-to-end between the elevating conveyor and the excavating unit I4. Material discharged by the excavating unit I4 and elevating conveyor I9 onto the conveyor is carried by the latter out to the edges of the ditch, where it is deposited on the ground. A gasoline engine 2I mounted on the front end of the frame I3 provides power for driving the excavating unit I4, scarifiers l6, worm conveyors II, rotary beater I8, elevating conveyor I9, and transverse belt conveyors 20, and is operatively connected to each of them by power transmission means which will be described in detail presently.

The supporting structure I2 comprises a pair of laterally spaced, fore and aft extending beams which are disposed on opposite sides of the tractor body and are rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner. Fixed to and extending upwardly from the front ends of the beams 25 are posts 26, and at the rear end of each of the beams is a downwardly extending arm 28. Welded to the bottom ends of the arms 23 and projecting rearwardly therefrom are base members 29 which support the bottom ends of two vertically disposed, tubular posts 39. The posts 30 are surmounted by cap members 3| which are connected to the top ends of the front posts 26 by downwardly and forwardly extending frame members 32. The frame members 32 and posts 26 are braced laterally at their junctions by means of a transverse frame member 33.,

The main frame 13, as mentioned earlier, is mounted on the supporting structure I2 for relative vertical movement, and to this end is provided with a pair of tubular members 35 which 4 which may be formed of heavy steel plate, as illustrated in the drawings, cut to the contour shown.

The side frame members 31 are connected together near their rear ends by a pair of fore and aft spaced, transversely disposed beams 38 which carry two laterally spaced, vertical supporting members 39. The supporting members 39 are shiftable laterally on the beams 38, and carry the side sections I5, center rear section 40, and rotary beater I8. Fixed to the extreme rear ends of side frame members 31 and extending upwardly therefrom are angle iron posts 45, the top ends of which are cross-connected by a transverse angle iron 46. Also attached to the top ends of the posts are forwardly extending, horizontal angle irons 41, and these are connected at their front ends by a transverse angle iron 48 which is welded to the back sides of the two tubular slides 35. V

The main frame I3 is adapted to be raised and lowered on the tubular posts 30 by means of a winch 59 mounted on the rear end of the tractor. The winch 59 is driven from the tractor engine by any well-known means, and trained around the winch drum is a cable 5| which extends upwardly therefrom and over a drum 52 mounted on a transverse shaft 53 which is journalled at its ends in pillow blocks 54 mounted on top of the cap members 3I. After passing over the drum 52, the cable 5| extends downwardly and is attached at its end to a bracket 55 fixed to the transverse angle iron 48 at the approximate mid-point of the latter. The frame I3 is thus raised or lowered to the desired level by merely operating the winch 50 in the appropriate direction, winding up or paying out cable to raise or lower the frame on the posts 30.

The excavating mechanism I4 comprises a plurality of laterally spaced, vertically disposed digging units which, in the preferred form illustrated, consist of eight bucket lines 69 arranged side-by-side, transverse to the direction of forward travel. in its operative, vertical position, cuts a vertical channel one foot wide through the ground as the machine advances. When all of the bucket lines are vertical, the excavating unit I4 cuts an eight foot, flat-bottomed trench to the maximum depth of six feet. However, when a trench of less than eight foot width is desired, certain of the outer units can be swung around to an inoperative, substantially horizontal position clear of the ground, in which case, the trench will be only as wide as the center group of operatively positioned bucket lines.

Each of the bucket lines 69 comprises a rigid frame made up of two laterally spaced channel irons GI and 62 arranged back-to-back and having spacer blocks 63 disposed between them. The channel irons BI, and 52 are welded or otherwise joined to the spacer blocks 33, which terminate somewhat short of the ends of the channel irons, leaving gaps to receive upper and lower sprockets 64 and 55. The lower sprockets 65 are supported for rotation in any suitable manner on the bottom ends of the channel irons BI, 62; and upper sprockets 64 are mounted on short, transverse shafts 66 which extend through and are journalled in the top ends of the channel irons. Each of the shafts 36 has radial flanges Ill fixed to opposite ends thereof, and these flanges are drilled at circumferentially spaced intervals to receive connecting bolts lI, whereby all of the shafts B6 of the operatively positioned bucket lines can be Each of the bucket lines 60, when connected together to rotate as. one. An endless. chain 72 is trained over the sprockets 64,, 65, and extends up and down along the front and back edges of the channel iron frame members, 6|, 62. Mounted on each of the chains 12 at spaced intervals along the length thereof are digging buckets 13 having teeth 14 along their outer edges. The buckets T3 are connected to the chain 12 by means of angle brackets 15, and are positioned so that the buckets on the upwardly traveling run of chain on the leading edge of the channel members face upwardly.

The bucket lines 60 are all supported on a transverse shaft 16 which is rigidly attached at its ends to the side frame members 3'! and extends through bearing holes 11 provided in the frame structures of the bucket lines at their mid-points. The two center bucket lines 60a are permanently fixed in vertical, operative position, and. to this end, their respective frame structures are shown in the schematic drawing of Figure 9 as being welded at 80 to the shaft 16. are all pivoted on the shaft 16 and are swingable down to a substantially horizontal inoperative position, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 8.

Since it is necessary that all of the operatively positioned bucket lines be rigidly locked in place while the machine is functioning, I have provided means for locking the pivoted units to the two rigid center units in any selected combination so as to obtain a ditch of any desired width from two to eight feet, in increments of one foot. The locking means, illustrated in Figure 6, comprises companionate members 8| and 82 which are fixed to channel irons 6i and 62, respectively, on opposite sides of the bucket line frame structures. Each of the members 8! is provided with a longi tudinally extending groove 83 which receives a; tongue 84 projecting from the adjacent member 82. Clamps 85 are used to clamp the bucket lines together in pairs with their tongue and groove members interlocked, and as shown in Figure 6, these clamps may take the form of pairs of oppositely extending rods 86, the. outer ends of which are hooked so as to engage over the edges At their adjacent of the channel member 6!, 62. ends, the rods 66 are bent to form right-angle flanges which are connected and drawn together by clamping bolts 90.

The schematic drawing of Figure 8 illustrates the machine set-up for digging a ditch of four foot width. In this case, the two pivoted bucket lines 60 directly adjacent the two rigid center bucket lines 60a are clamped together in pairs, so that all four of the center, operatively; positioned bucket lines are locked in place. QThe two pairs of bucket lines on either side of the center group have been clamped together and swung down to inoperative position. To add another unit to the center group, it is necessary only to remove the clamp 85 from one of the outer, inoperative pairs, swing the inner bucket line of the said pair up to operative position, and then clamp it tothe adjacent end unitof the centergroup. It will be understood, of course, that in'connectin another unit into the center, operatively positioned group, it is necessary also to connect the sprocket shaft 66 of the new unit onto the end of the adjacent sprocket shaft, so that the newly added bucket line will be driven thereby.

The bucket lines of the operatively positioned group are driven from a drive shaft 9| extending transversely across the frame 13 ahead of the excavating unit 14. The ends of the shaft 9! are The other bucket lines 69 I J ournalled in they side frame members 31, and the righthand end portion of the shaft is splined at 92 so that a. driving sprocket wheel, 93 mounted thereon can be shifted laterally to place it in alignment with the end of. the sprocket shaft 66 of the outer bucket line in the operative group. A driven sprocket 94 having bolt holes matching the holes in the flanges i0 is mounted directly on. the outer end flange, using the bolts H. A chain 95 trained over sprockets 93, 94, transmits the drive from shaft 9| to the connected sprocket shafts 66 of the operatively positioned group of bucket lines 60..

When the machine is in operation, only the lower portions of the bucket lines 60 in the operatively positioned group engage the ground, as shown in Figure 2, and this imposes a torsional stress of .considerable magnitude on the excavating units which are. supported at their midpoints on the shaft 16, tending to shear the rigidly fixed center bucket lines 69a loose from the shaft 16, or twist the latter. To overcome this unbalanced load condition, I provide a pair of tension rods 96 on either side of the operatively positioned group of bucket lines, which are connected at their front ends by bolts 9'! to the supporting frame structures of the outer bucket lines, and at their rear ends, by bolts 98 to the supporting members 39 adjacent the front edges thereof. The bolt 91 of the right-hand rod 96 is screwed into a tapped hole 99 provided in the tongue 84 of eachof the members 82 midway between the supporting shaft 16 and the top end of the frame structure; while the left-hand rod 96 is connected at its front end to the member 8| by a suitable bracket (not shown).

The supporting members 39 are always adjusted (by means which will be described present y) to positions in line with the outside edges of the outer bucket lines of the operatively positioned group, and the tension rods 96 are therefore located so that their front ends can be bolted to the outer bucket lines of the operative group, regardless of the width of the latter. As the machine advances over the ground, the rearward thrust of the earth against the lower endsof the bucket lines tends to rotate the bucket lines in a clockwise direction about the shaft 16. This tendency is opposed, however, by the tension rods 96 which are connected to the outer bucket lines of the excavating unit above the shaft 16, and which exert a rearwardly' directed force on the bucket lines, restraining them against such clockwise rotational movement.

The side sections [5 which cut the sloping sides of the ditch after the excavating unit l4 has dug out the flat-bottomed trench, are shiftable laterally so that the bottom edges of the sloping side walls coincide with the side ed es of the flat-bottomed trench, whatever the width of the latter. To this end, the supporting members 39, carrying the side sections l5, are slid-- ably mounted on the transverse beams 38, and are moved in toward one another or spread apart by means of a turnbuckle Hill, the ends of which are ,iournalled in the frame side members 31 and held thereby against axial movement. The two halves of the turnbuckle I99 are threaded in op-v posite directions, and these threaded portions pass through tapped holes in the supporting members 39 and have a screw engagement therewith. A hexagonal wrench head Illl at the mid-- point of the turnbuckle, enables the operator to turn the latter for the purpose of adjusting the distance between supporting members,

Extendingtransversely across the bottom of the ditch and bolted to flanges I02 extending laterally inward from the lower rear edges of the supporting members 39 is a vertical plate member I03 which functions as a mold board to accumulate and push along the loosened earth brought down into the bottom of the ditch by the worm conveyors I'I, so that the rotary beater I8 is enabled to kick the earth forwardly intothe elevating conveyor I9. A rearwardly extending pan I04 is attached to the back side of the plate I03 along the bottom edge thereof, and its purpose is to bear on the ground so as to stabilize the machine and hold it to grade, and also to smooth the surface of the ditch. The pan I04 is braced at each end by a strut I05 which extends downwardly and rearwardly from the top edge of the plate I03 to the rear edge of the pan. Both plate I03 and pan I04 are replaced by others of different length whenever the supporting members 39 are adjusted in or out.

The ends of the plate I03 project laterally be yond the supporting members 39 to form extensions I06, and these extensions are mitered at their bottom corners to the angle of the maximum wall slope at which the machine can be set, which, in the case of the machine illustrated, is approximately 45 for a one-to-one V slope. Formed in each of the lateral extensions I06 of the plate I03 are two vertically spaced, arcuate slots I01 having their centers at the junction of the miter with the fiat-bottomed edge of the plate I03. Bolts I Iare passed through these slots and through holes in the lower ends of side section plate II I so that the latter can be bolted to the ends of the plate I03 to form upwardly and outwardly directed side continuations thereof. The slots I01 permit the side sections to be raised or'lowered to any desired angle by merely loosening the bolt H0.

The upper end of each of the plates Ill is out off perpendicular to the ground, and fixed to this vertical edge is a forwardly extending end plate II2. A rearwardly extending pan H3 is secured to the back side of the plate III along the bottom edge thereof and is braced at its upper end to the top edge of the plate by a strut I I4. The lower end of the pan H3 is joined to the end of the center pan I04 by a hinge II adjacent the bottom end of the strut I05, and is braced by the latter. The hinge II5 provides a flexible connection between the center pan I04 and side pan II 3, permitting the latter to be adjusted angularly with respect to the former.

The side sections I5 are adjustable angularly with respect tothe flat bottom-of the ditch to vary the slope of the side walls within the approximate range of 1:1 to 3:1, and this is accomplished by means of a screw jack comprising a threaded rod IIB which is screwed into a threaded tube I IT. The outer end of the tube I I? is pivotally connected to a bracket I I8 on the end plate IIZ, while the inner end of the rod H6 is swiveled on a yoke I I9 which is pivotally connected to a bracket l-fixed-to the frame I3 at the corner junction at the angle irons 45, 43 and 41. The slope of the ditch side walls is increased byscrewin-g the jack shaft I It down into the tube [.Il, thereby shortening the effective length of the twomembers; or decreased by backing the jack shaft out of thetube II! to increase their effective length.

The outer ends of the side sections I5 are connected to the main frame I3 by forwardly and inwardly extending drag links I 2I which brace the' side sections against rearward deflection caused by the pressure of the earth against the scarifiers I3 as the machine is pulled forwardly. The drag links I2I must be adjustable in length to accommodate angular adjustments of the side sections I5, as well as lateral adjustments thereof forwidth, and to this end, each of the drag links comprises a threaded rod I22 which is screwed into a threaded tube I23. The front end of the rod I22 is swiveled on a yoke I24 which is flexibly connected to the angle iron 41; while the outer or rear end of the tube I23 is flexibly connected to a bracket I23a which is fixed to the top edge of the end plate II2 just ahead of the bracket II8. Each of the drag links I2I is adjusted in length simultaneously "with the screw jack H0, H1 whenever the side sections I5 are shifted laterally or adjusted angularly.

The two scarifiers I6 and worm conveyor I! of each side section are supported at their outer ends on the end plate I I2, and at their inner ends on the supporting member 39. The scarifiers I0 each comprise a shaft I25 having a plurality of axially spaced, radially extending teeth I26 fixedly mounted thereon; the teeth of the upper scarifier being staggered with respect to those of the lower one. Each of the shafts I25 is journalled at its lower or inner end in a self-aligning bearing l2? (Figure 4) mounted on the supporting member 39. The outer ends of the shafts I25 extend through bearings I28 into a gear box I29 mountedon the outside of the end plate I I2, and are operatively connected to power transmission mechanism in the box to be driven thereby. The worm conveyor I'I likewise comprises a shaft I30 which is journalled at its inner end in a selfaligning bearing, and the outer end of which extends through a bearing I3I on the end plate II2 into the gear box I29, where it is connected to the driving mechanism.

The angularly disposed scarifiers I3 rotate at fairly high speed, and the teeth I26 thereof chop into the earth on either side of the trench, cutting the soil loose and breaking it up. The loosened earth is carried by the worm conveyor I'l down the slope and in toward the center of the trench where it is scooped up and pushed forwardly by the center plate 03, at the same time being propelled forwardly by the rotary beater I8. The rotary beater I8 comprises a transverse shaft I32 extending across the bottom of thetrench in lateral alignment'with the two Worm conveyors I1, and having its ends journalled in suitable bearings on the supporting members 39. F'lxedly mounted on the shaft I32 are "spirally twistedipa'ddles 133 which .kic'kthe loosened earth forwardly and in toward the cen: ter of the trench "where it is pieked'up by-the buckets of the elevating conveyor I9.

The elevating conveyor I9 comprises a rigid frame structure I34 made up of two channel irons I35 (Figure '7) which are arranged back-to-back and separatedby a spacer block I 30, to which the channels are welded or otherwise suitably joined. The structure I34 is rigidly mounted at its midpoint on a transverse shaft I40 which is supported at its ends on the frame side members 31. Journalled in the bottom ends of the structure I34 and projecting laterally from both sides thereof is a'shaft MI having two sprocketsI42 fixedly mounted thereon on opposite sides of the structure. Endless chains I43 are trained around 7 the sprockets I42 and carried up the front and so that the upwardly traveling buckets along the back side of the structure I34 are positioned right side up.

As mentioned earlier, the elevating conveyor l6 and excavating mechanism I4 discharge the earth carried by their respective buckets onto the transverse conveyor 26 as the said buckets pass over the top sprockets. The transverse conveyor 26 is located between the elevating conveyor I9 and excavating mechanism I4 arljacent'their upper ends, and comprises two oppositely traveling conveyor belts I52 which are arranged end-to-end, with their adjacent ends spaced as-closely together as possible. At their inner ends, the belts I52 are trained around rollers I53, each of which is rotatably supported between the ends of two fore and aft spaced brackets I54 projecting laterally inward from the inner ends of transverse channel frame members I55. The outer ends of the conveyor belts I52 are trained around .driving pulleys I56, each of which is likewise rotatably supported between the ends of two brackets I51 projecting laterally outward from the outer ends of the channel members I55. 3

Each of the channel members I55 is disposed with its horizontal bottom panel extending between the top and bottom runs of the belt I52, and with its side panels extending upwardly along the front and rear edges of the top run of the belt. The channel members I55 are supported by a plurality of laterally spaced inverted V-shaped hangers I58 which are fixed to and depend from a pair of fore and aft spaced, transversely extend-.

ing angle irons I64. The angle irons I64 are supported, in turn, by a pair of A-frames I61 extending laterally outward from opposite sides of the frame I3. Each of the A-frames I6I is made up of two fore and aft spaced, parallel angle irons I62 which are welded at their inner ends to the outside surface of the frame members 41, and extend laterally outward and upward therefrom. Welded to the outer ends of the angle irons I62 are downwardly and outwardly extending members I63 which are joined at their outer ends to the outer ends of the angle irons I64. Vertical posts I65 extend downwardly from the junction of members I 62 and I 63, and are attached at their bottom ends to the transverse angle irons I 64. The junction of members I62, I63 and I64 is additionally braced by a fore and aft extending cross bar I66. The two frame members 41 of the main frame I3 are braced to take the loads of the A-frames I6I by means of an inverted channel member I61 which extends between and is welded to the members 41 midway between the members I62.

Supporting the top run of the conveyor belt I52 at spaced intervals along the length thereof are roller assemblies I68, each comprising three rollers I69 arranged in the angular disposition shown in Figure 11, which causes the conveyor belt to buckle into the form of an upwardly facing trough, so as to confine the dirt carried on the belt and prevent the same from falling off to either side. The rollers I69 are journalled on brackets I59 and, I66 which are fixed to the inside surfaces of the channel member I55.. The slack bottom run of the belt I52 is carried up over idler rollers I11 which are journalled in brackets I18 extending downwardly from the sides of the channel member.

Power for driving all of the operating units of the machine derived from the gasoline engine 2|, which is supported on the transverse plate member 36 between the tubular slides 35,'by an engine mount structure I16. on the end of the engine crank case is a reduction gear box and clutch housing Ill, and projecting upwardly from the housing I1I is a clutch release lever I72. A drive shaft I13 extends laterally from the housing HI, and mounted on its outer end is a sprocket I14. Trained around the sprocket I'M is a chain I15 which drives a sprocket I16 mounted on the end of shaft 9| alongside the right hand frame member 31; Another sprocket I86 fixed on the other end of the shaft 65, rives a chain I8I extending rearwardly therefrom to a sprocket I82 fixed on the top shaft I45 of the elevating conveyor I9. In order to clear the conveyor belt I52 and any dirt carried thereon, the top run of chain IN is carried up over an idler sprocket I83 which is rotatably supported on avertical frame member I84 extending between the top frame member 41 and lower member 31. The bottom run of the chain I6I is carried under the conveyor belt I52 and is trained around an idler sprocket I85 which is journalled on the left-hand frame member 31 beneath the conveyor belt. The rotary beater i8 is driven from the bottom shaft I4I of the elevating conveyor I9 by means of a sprocket and chain drive which are enclosed within a housing I66 to protect them from t-heloose dirt in which they would otherwise be buried.

Mounted on the outside of each of the side frame members 31' in line with the transverse shaft 5H extend into their respective gear boxes I66 and are operatively connected to the gearing contained therein. A drive shaft I9I projects rearwardly from each of the gear boxes I66, passing between the top and'bottom runs of the conveyor belt I52 and extending through a notch I89 provided in the bottom of the channel member I55. A sprocket I92 which is fixed to the drive shaft I6I adjacent the leading edge of the conveyor belt, drives a chain I93 extending laterally outward to a drive sprocket I64 on the outer roller I56.

The rear end of each of the driveshafts I9I extends into a right angle drive gear box I95 i 262 to the gear box I29 at the outer end of the side section I5. The gearing within the box I29 drives the two scarlfiers I 6 in a counterclockwise direction at a fairly high speed, and the Worm conveyor I8 in the same direction but at a greatly reduced speed.

In starting the excavation of a new ditch, 3 one of the first steps is to remove the pans I64 and H3 so that the machine will be enabled to dig down into the ground to the required depth. The excavating unit I4 is then set up with the appropriate number of bucket lines 66 locked together in operative position so as to dig a fiat bottomed trench of the desired width, after which the rear end plate I63 and rotary beater I8 are Mounted directly removed (if necessary) to enable the supporting members 39 to be shifted laterally by the turnbuckle lUli into alignment with the outer edges of the operatively positioned group of bucket lines. When the members 39 have been satisfactorily adjusted, a plate Hi3 and beater l8 of corresponding length are mounted in place. The side sections are then shifted to the proper angle by turning screw shafts H6 and I22, to raise or lower the outer ends thereof.

The engine 2! is started, and the clutch lever H2 is shifted to engage the clutch, thereby transmitting driving power to the several operating units of the machine. The frame i3 is then lowered by the winch 50 until the bucket lines (it engage the ground, and while the tractor is driven slowly forward, the frame I? is gradually lowered into the ground. The bucket lines 60 cut slight- 1y below the following elevating conveyor 19, rotary belts l8, and plate I03, and in consequence, the machine is able to out its way down into the ground. When the desired depth has been reached, the winch 50 is stopped and locked, and is thereafter operated only where necessary to increase or decrease the depth of the ditch to main tain a constant guide in the bottom of the ditch. As soon as the machine has reached the proper depth, the pans I04 and H3 are replaced, and the machine is then in readiness for normal operation.

In transporting the machine to and from the job, the frame i3 is raised by the winch 5G to the top of the posts 38, as shown in Figure 4, in which position it clears the ground. It might be men tioned here that while the machine appears in the drawings to overbalance the tractor i I so that the front end of the latter might be lifted off the v ground, this is not the case, as the weightof the tractor frame and engine is so much greater than the weight of the rearwardly overhanging machine that the front end of the tractor is held down on the ground.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believe to be the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that this is'merely an illustrative embodiment, and that various changes may be made in the shape and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the broad scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

v1. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch and adjustable V Vertically with respect to the ground,'excavating means carried by said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means being adjustable in its effective width to vary the width of the trench dug thereby, earth working means'arranged to the rear of said excavating means for loosening and breaking up the earth on either side of said trench to a sloping grade, means for, shifting said earth working means laterally to coincide with the sides of said trench, and angularly to vary the slope of the ditch side walls, and means 3. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a frame'adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced diggin units arranged side-by-side, transverse to the direction of forward travel, certain of said units being movable with respect to said frame to inoperative positions clear of the ground for reducing the width of the trench dug by said excavating means, earth working means on said frame to the rear of said excavating means for loosening and breaking up the earth on either side of said trench to a sloping grade, means for shifting said earth working means laterally with respect to said frame to coincide with the side edges of said trench, and means for conveying the loosened earth to the margins of the ditch. 4. A ditch diggin machine comprising, in combination, a frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said ex-. cavating mean comprising a plurality of laterally spaced bucket lines arranged "side-by-side, transverse to the direction of forward travel, each of said bucket lines consisting of a normally vertical frame structure supported intermediate its ends on said frame, a pair of shafts journaled on said structure at opposite ends thereof, a

sprocket mounted on each of said shafts, an endless chain trained over said sprockets and extend ing along the front and back edges of said structure, a plurality of digging buckets mounted on said chain, certain of said bucket lines being swingable about the point of support of their respective frame structures between vertical operative position and substantially horizontal inoperative position clear of the ground, means for looking a selected group of said bucket lines in operative position, means for interconnecting the shafts at the top ends of the bucket lines in said selected operative group, means adapted to be connected to one end of said interconnected shafts for driving the same so that the buckets on 'the front edges of said structure are caused to a sloping grade, said earth working means being shiftable laterally with respectto said frame to coincide with the side edgesof said trench, and means for conveyin the loosened earth to v the margins of the ditch.

5. A ditch digging machine comprising, in com- I bination, a frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame fordigging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced bucket lines arranged side-by-side, transverse to 1 the direction of forward travel, certain of said I bucket lines being swingable about a horizontal axis disposed intermediate the ends of said bucket 13. lines :between vertical operativeposition and sub-, stantially horizontal inoperative position clear of the ground, means for looking a selected group of said bucket lines in operative position, means for drivin only the bucket lines in said selected operative group so that the buckets carried therea by are caused to bite into the ground asthe ma chine advances while the bucket lines in said inoperative position, remain idle, and transversely arranged conveying means disposed to the rear of said bucket lines adjacent the upper ends thereof to receive the soil discharged by said bucket lines and deposit the same along the margins of the ditch. I V H 6. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a main frame adapted tobe propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means being adjustable in its effective width to vary the width of the trench du thereby, a pair of laterally spaced supportin members mounted on the rear end of said mainframe and movable toward and away from one another, means for adjusting the spacing of saidsupporting members to correspond with the Width of said trench, earth Working means supported, atone end on each of said supporting members and extending upwardly and outwardly from the. bottom edges of the trench, said earth working means being operative to loosen and break up the earth on either side of said trench to a sloping grade, and means for conveying the loosened earth to the mar ins of the ditch.

'7. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a main frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench excavating means being adjustable in its effective width to vary the width of the trench dug thereby, a pair of laterally spaced supporting members mounted on the rear end of said main frame and movable toward and away from one another, means for adjusting the spacing of said supporting members to correspond with the Width of said trench, earth working means supported at one end on each of said supporting members and extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edges of the trench, said earth workingmeans being operative to loosen and break up the earth on either side of said trench to a sloping grade, conveyor means for moving the loosened earth in toward the center of said trench, a rotary beater extending transversely across the bottom of said trench and having its ends journaled in said supporting members, said beater being operative to propel forwardly the loosened earth moved into the bottom of said trench by said conveyor means, elevating means positioned ahead of said beater to receive the earth propelled forwardly thereby, and other conveyor means disposed to receive the earth discharged from said elevating means and to carry the same to the margins of the ditch.

8. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a main frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means being adjustable in its effective width to vary the width of the trench dug thereby, a pair of laterally spaced supporting members mounted on the rear end of said main frame and movable toward and away from one 14 another, means for adjusting the spacing ofsaid supporting members to correspond with the-width of said trench, earth working means supported at one end on each of said supporting members and extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottomedges of the trench, said earth working 9. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a main frame adapted to be propelled along the course of the ditch, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means being adjustable in its effective Width to vary the width of the trench dug thereby, a pair of laterally spaced supporting mem.- bers mounted on the rear end of said main frame and movable toward and away from one another, means for adjusting the spacing of said supporting members to correspond with the width of said trench, a pair of vertically spaced rotary scarifiers journaled at one end on each of said supporting members and extending laterally upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edges of the trench, a worm conveyor located behind the bottom scariiier of each side and extending parallel thereto, said worm conveyor being operable to move the earth loosened by said scariiiers in toward the center of said trench, said scarifiers and said worm conveyors being movable angu-' larly with respect to said supporting members to vary the slope of the ditch'side walls, journal means supporting the outer ends of said scarifiers and worm conveyors, means adjustably connecting said journal means to said main frame whereby said scarifiers and worm conveyors can be adjusted in angular position, and means for elevating the loosened earth in the bottom of said trench and conveying the same to the sides of the ditch.

10. A ditch digging machine comprising, in combination, a supporting structure adapted to be mounted on a tractor, a frame carried by said sup-porting structure and movable vertically with respect thereto, means for raising and lowering said frame, excavating means mounted on said frame for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, earth Working means arranged to the rear of said excavating means for loosening the earth on either side of said trench to a sloping grade, conveyor means for removing theloosened earth to the sides of the ditch, an engine mounted on said frame, and power transmission means for driving said excavating means, earth working means, and conveyor means from said engine.

11. A ditch digging machine comprising, in

combination, a tractor, a supporting structure mounted on said tractor and having a pair of vertically disposed posts, a main frame slidably mounted on said posts, means on said tractor for raising and lowering said main frame, excavating means for digging a trench in the ground as the machine advances, said excavating means comprising a plurality of laterally-spaced bucket lines arranged side-by-side, transverse to the direction of forward travel, certain of said bucket lines being rigidly secured to said'frame in vertical operative position and the balance of said bucket lines being movable between operative position and substantially horizontal inoperative .15 position, means-forlocking a selected'group of said bucket lines in operative position, means for connecting said group of operatively positioned bucket lines so that they operate as one, a pair of laterally spaced supporting members mounted .on the rear end of said main frame and movable toward and away from one another, means for adjusting the-spacing of said supporting members to correspond with the width of said trench;

a pair of vertically spaced rotary scarifiers journaled at one end in each of said supporting members and extending laterally upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edges of the trench, a worm conveyor located behind the bottom scarifier of each side and extending parallel thereto, said worm conveyor being operable to move the earth loosened by said scarifiers in toward the center of said trench, said scarifiers and said worm conveyors being adjustable angularly with respect to said supporting members, a rotary beater extending'transversely across the bottom of said trench and having its ends journaled in said supporting members, said beater being operative to propel forwardly the loosened earth moved into the bottom of said trench by said worm conveyors, an elevating conveyor positioned ahead of said beater to receive the earth propelled thereby, a pair of oppositelytravel'ing; transversely arranged belt conveyors disposed end-to-end between said elevating conveyor and said bucket lines to receive earth discharged by both of them and to carry said earth to themargins of the ditch, an engine mounted on said main frame, and power transmission means for driving said bucket lines, scarifiers, worm conveyors, rotary beater, elevating conveyor, and belt conveyors from said engine.

' EDWARD D. EKENSTAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

